


Like Moths to a Flame

by LongerWalks_and_ShorterTalks



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Folklore, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-27
Updated: 2015-03-13
Packaged: 2018-03-15 10:12:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3443396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LongerWalks_and_ShorterTalks/pseuds/LongerWalks_and_ShorterTalks
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Barry was in his favorite cafe when he saw him.</p><p>He was a couple years older than Barry with a huge house in the middle of the forest. He was kind, and funny, and one of the most attractive people he's ever met. How could he not be attracted to him?</p><p>The fact that he started having nightmares and disappearing days at a time after he met Eddie was only a coincidence.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Barry stared out the window of the cafe, forgetting about his homework for the time being. It had been raining harder than it ever these last few days. His view of the park across the street was obscured by the water droplets on the window. Every time a new customer would walk in, a gust of cold wind would hit Barry, even in his seat at the back of the cafe. He tugged his favorite black sweater closer to his body and wrapped his cold fingers around his coffee mug.  
  
Barry signed, looking away from the window and back down to his homework. He needed a break. All he's done this past month is go to class and come back home to do homework. He hasn't hung out with Caitlin or Cisco in weeks and the only other place he's been besides school and his apartment was this cafe.  
  
The bell jingled at the front of the store and cold air hit him, signifying that there was a new costumer. Barry watched as a tall fair skinned man pulled at the scarf around his neck and shook his umbrella out before walking towards the counter. He ran a hand through his blond hair while smiling at the woman taking his order. After paying for his drink, the man let his blue eyes wonder around the cafe, taking in the calm atmosphere and quiet chatter. Before Barry knew it, the man's soft gaze landed on him. His smile seemed to grow and become more genuine as the seconds passed and neither of them looked away. Just Barry sent the handsome stranger a smile of his own, thunder roared from outside. causing Barry to jump and his coffee to fly out of his hand, and onto the floor. Not only did Barry just embarrass himself in front of the most gorgeous human being he's ever seen, but he didn't even get to drink the coffee yet.  
  
Barry let out another sigh, standing up to retrieve napkins, only to be stopped by a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Here," says the blond man who was at the counter a few seconds ago, handing him a stack of napkins. The blond smiles at him before bending down and cleaning up the mess. Barry's brain chooses that moment to jump start, and bends down to help the man. But because this is Barry and his life just sucks, just as he bends down to help, the man looks up and their foreheads smack together.  
  
Hard.  
  
They go sprawling out on the floor in opposite directions, holding their heads. Barry begins apologizing while the man just laughs.  
  
"Hey, it's okay," the man chuckles when Barry finally stops rambling, "It was an accident. No need to apologize."  
  
The smile sent his way fills Barry's face with heat.  
  
"Hi," he mutters, sticking his hand out "my name is Barry."  
  
The man in the the very expensive looking suit stands up and takes Barry's hand.  
  
"Eddie." He replies, pulling Barry up with him as if he weighed no more than a feather.  
  
"It's nice to meet you Eddie. And sorry about the mess."  
  
Before Eddie gets to reply, the cashier from earlier approaches them.  
  
"Move along, boys," she smiled. "I've got this. Y'all just sit over there."  
  
"Thanks Melissa," Barry smiles, leading Eddie to a table towards the front, by another window.

* * *

  
Anyone who knew Barry, knew he was clumsy. However, it was never this bad. In the three hours that he sat there talking to Eddie, all the change fell out of his pocket, he spilled his coffee (again), and when he went to tip the waitress, all the money in his pocket was gone. This was officially the worst day of his life. The only good think was that Eddie seemed to think it was charming and adorable. Like it was a totally normal occurrence. Barry wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth, but there was something off about the guy.  
  
He dressed as if he had millions of dollars to spare, but didn't act like it. He was one of the most kind hearted, down to earth people Barry had met in his 21 years of living. The 26 year old man seemed wise beyond his years, but just as silly and naive as Barry. It's almost like the man wasn't human.  
  
Despite basically everything going wrong, Barry had a nice conversation with the man. Eventually, ten o'clock came around and Barry had an 8AM class in the morning so he had to go. He exchanged numbers with Eddie (who had to lend him a pen because all of his seemed to stop working at the same time), and stepped outside.  
  
In the rain.  
  
Without his umbrella.

Eddie laugh and offered to walk him home seeing as he was the only one with the umbrella.

* * *

"So, are you from around here?" Barry asked, trying to stay under the umbrella while avoiding the huge puddles. Eddie avoided them with ease. 

"Yep. Grew up here with my family. They live around here but I moved out east, about 20 minutes from here."

"That's cool." Barry smiled.

They walked in a comfortable silence under the umbrella until Eddie broke the silence.

"What about you?"

"Oh, I'm from central city. Just moved out here a couple months ago for school."

"You go to that university over on Deadwood?"

"Yeah," Barry nodded, "how'd you know?"

"Lucky guess." Eddie grinned, moving his gaze to the ground.

Eddie stared at the man's profile while he was occupied by the ground. The rain caused his hair to dampen and stick against his face. His eyes didn't seem to change with the weather like everyone else's. Instead, they stayed that same vibrant blue they were in the cafe. Eddie began humming a slow tune under his breathe as they continued to walk, his voice causing Barry to feel more and more relaxed with the stranger.  
  
Barry and Eddie arrived at Deadwood Gardens soaked to the bone and exhausted, despite the fact that they had the umbrella. All he wanted to do was take an extremely hot shower, and sleep for the rest of his life.

"Thanks, Eddie." Barry smiled, climbing the stairs to his apartment building while Eddie stayed at the bottom.

"Anytime, Barry" Eddie replied, grabbing his hand before he reached the top step. Barry turned around and stopped as soon as he noticed the blond right behind him.

"We should do this again." Eddie brought Barry's hand up to his lips and kissed his knuckles. His lips surprisingly soft and un-chapped despite the weather.

Barry blushed as Eddie turn and walk in the direction they had just come from.

* * *

  
Taking advantage of the fact that he lived alone, Barry stripped on his way to the bathroom, leaving a trail of wet clothes in his wake. Once the water heated up, Barry stepped in, resting his head against the tile.  
  
Barry had only been here for a month, and it was already feeling like a second home to him.  
  
School hadn't started yet, and Barry had yet to find himself a place to live. After searching for a week, Barry found Deadwood Gardens. It was an apartment building down the street from his school. It was a one bedroom one bathroom set up with a kitchen, balcony, and cheap rent. He’d be an idiot if he didn’t take it. Despite the creepy neighbors, what he thinks is probably a blood stain on the wall, and the odd noises coming from down the hall, it was a pretty nice deal. With the money he had saved up and his job at the library, Barry didn't even need the hassle of a roommate. Joe and Iris instantly began to worry when they heard he'd be moving all the way downtown, but he assured them that he'd be safe and knew how to take care of himself.  
  
There was no way in hell that Barry was going to live at home while he went to school. He loved Joe and Iris, but he had to do something on his own.  
  
Barry realized that he has been standing in the shower for too long once the water had run cold. He began rinsing the soap off his body when his left hand began to tingle. It was his knuckles, the same place Eddie had kissed him.

Barry let himself smile at the thought. Barry was so stressed out from school that he hadn't even let himself think about a possible boyfriend or girlfriend. There just wasn't any time for such things.

Eddie seemed different though. Yeah, Barry had just met him, but he hadn't had a crush on anyone since he got over Iris and maybe it was time to start.

Barry shook his head, deciding to think about his at a later date, when the lights flickered off.  
  
Barry's hands froze in his hair as he stared into the darkness. It was pretty windy outside, which is probably why the power went out. Barry reached blindly for the knob to turn the shower off when the lights turned back on.  
  
Shutting the shower off, Barry wrapped a towel around his waist and made his way into the bedroom.

 

* * *

  
  
Barry was in the kitchen, making toast, when he heard it. It was a loud bang from outside of his door. The only people who shared this floor with him was Caitlyn and her fiancé Ronnie across from him, and an old woman to his left who never made a sound. Curious, Barry reached for the knob. The old door knob squeaked as he turned it and pulled the door wide open. Looking down both hallways, Barry saw nothing. It was so quiet, Barry could hear his sink dripping all the way from the doorway. Deciding that he was probably just hearing things due to fatigue, he began retreating into the apartment when he heard another bang.  
  
Sticking his head down the hall again, Barry saw what had made the noise. The room all the way down the hall swung open and hit the wall behind it. From where he stood, he could tell that the apartment had pretty much the same layout as his own.  
  
Letting his curiosity get the best of him, Barry looked around again before making his way down the hall. Finally reaching the doorway, he poked his head inside, still feeling weary about going in. The room was dark and the curtains were drawn. All he could see was a TV in the corner emitting static. Deeming it safe enough, Barry walked through the door and up to the TV. He crouched down in front of it, inhaling dust and what smelled like flowers. The only light source was coming from the television so Barry had a hard time finding the power button.  
  
Just as he finds the button and clicks it off, the door the he came through slams shut. He jumps up to face the door and the rain outside seems to be coming down harder and harder as it hits the windows. Barry runs to the door and pulls, but it won’t open. He pulls and pushes and twists the door knob but to no avail. Giving the door one last kick, Barry sighs and looks around the room. The only sound he can hear is the rain hitting the windows now that the TV is off.  
  
"Great." He says out loud, feeling around for a light switch. If the layout of this apartment is anything like his own, it should be near the kitchen. Tripping over his feet a couple times, Barry finally finds the light switch. He attempts to flip the switch, but they are already up. Barry lets out a longer sigh and begins to freak out a little. He feels his heart beat faster and his hands begin to sweat. He is trapped here in the dark with no way out.  
  
It’s in that moment that Barry notices something at the corner of his eye. It looks like a man standing in front of the window. He has his hands in his pocket and his silhouette is stiff. Like he’s just watching Barry. It’s when the man seems to come to life and starts walking towards him that Barry feels all the blood rush from his face.  
  
He knows he should run. He knows that he should try and break the door down and get the hell out of there. But the man just gets closer and closer and while his brain is telling him run, his feet seem to think its a good idea to stay glued to the floor.  
Barry closes his eyes as the man takes bigger, faster steps. The room seems to drop a good 20 degrees as Barry feels the man stop in front of him. It takes everything he has not to open his eyes.  
  
He feels a hand softly caress his face. It goes up his cheekbone, and scratches his face as it moves down to his neck. He knows that the scratch drew blood, but he's still too afraid to open his eyes, He feels something wet across his face where the hand had been, lapping up the blood dripping down his face. The hand continues down his chest to his hips. He’s being backed up into a wall and another hand rests on his face when he finally opens his eyes. The room is still pitch black and so is the figure in front of him. The bluest eyes he’s ever seen are staring back at him.  
  
Everything is quiet. The rain hits the window harder and harder. Barry looks up into the strangers eyes just as lighting flashes, brightening the room for a few seconds. What Barry sees makes his blood run cold and his face pale. The man in pushing him against the wall has short blond hair. He has a cold, empty look on his face and is covered in blood. The man licks his lips and smiles.  
  
It was Eddie.  
  
Barry is drenched in sweat when he wakes up. It’s 40 degrees outside but it feels like 80 under his three blankets.  
  
It was all a dream. It was all one big fatigue induced, twisted, frightening dream. After he showered, Barry must have fell right asleep. He rolls over onto his side to see his alarm clock. Its one in the morning. Not wanting to lose anymore sleep, he stares at the rain hitting the window outside, letting the sound lull him to sleep.

* * *

 

Barry was beginning to think that having a boyfriend was a bad idea.

Hell, they had only hung out once and Barry couldn't seem to stop thinking about Eddie.

Before he knew it, his 8AM class was over and all he had on his paper was four notes and a stick figure drawing. He was so screwed.

"Barry!" 

He stopped packing his things up as soon as he heard Cisco's voice.

"Dude," he sighed as soon as he approached Barry "Why is it that we have two of the same classes every day but never see each other?"

"Sorry, Cisco If it makes you feel any better, I haven't seen Caitlin, Iris, or Joe either. I've just been super busy later."

Barry stands and slings his messenger bag over his shoulder. He walked out of the building with Cisco at his side.

"Well I don't have another class until 4. What about lunch? We can call Caitlin and Ronnie."

"Can't," Cisco frowns, "my next class is at 12."

"Dinner?" Barry suggests

"Sounds good, bro." Cisco high fives him before walking in the opposite direction.

Barry smiles to himself as he decided where to go for lunch. His week just might be looking up.

* * *

 He was wrong.

He was oh so wrong.

He was never this way with Iris, so why the hell does he get so clumsy around Eddie?

It starts when the four of them meet up at a pizza joint that just opened in town.

Ronnie picks it out because they "have the best pizza ever" (which Barry stopped believing a long time ago because Ronnie says every pizza place has the best pizza ever).

They get to their seats and start chatting about what has happened in the passed month when Barry feels it. It's a tingle in his left hand that startles him and causes his hand to spazz out. He knocks the napkin dispenser onto the floor right in front of a waitress who then trips over it, spilling all of her drinks.

On top of Barry.

Barry can hear Cisco and Ronnie trying with all their strength not to laugh while Caitlin attempts to help him clean himself up.

But then it only gets worse.

Someone taps him on the shoulder  and clears their throat, waiting for him to turn around.

Its Eddie.

Not in the same expensive get up he had on the day before, but in tight jeans, a gray henley, and a smile that Barry knows at this point is reserved just for him. Barry swears that the man's eyes begin to glow for a second but that may just be the soda in his eyes.

 "Hi, Barry." Eddie smiles, helping the poor waitress up without looking away from him.

 "Hey Eddie!" Barry greets, using the napkin Caitlin hands him to wipe the soda from his eyes. "how are you?"

"Good." Eddie replies, putting a hand on Barry's shoulder.

"Oh, how rude of me. These are my friends, Cisco, Caitlin, and her fiance Ronnie."

They all nodded at him politely but didn't say a word. Not even Caitlin who was one of the nicest people Barry had ever met. He all gave them disapproving frowns before turning back to Eddie.

"You want to join us?" Barry asked, ignoring Cisco clearing his throat behind him.

"No thanks, I'm not a big fan of pizza. I was just stopping by to say hi to a friend." Eddie gave Barry's shoulder one last pat before taking his leave. "It was nice seeing you again, Barry."

Barry waved as Eddie disappeared around a corner.

"What the hell is wrong with you guys?" Barry scolded, seeing there pizza coming. "You couldn't say hi like normal human beings?"

Ronnie smirked behind his fist while Cisco cleared his throat again. Caitlin threw soiled napkins at them, turning a sympathetic look to Barry.

"We're just..."

"Not very big fans of Eddie Thawne. He's weird." Cisco finished, just as a pizza was placed on the table.

"Shut up, Cisco." Caitlin scolded, placing a clean napkin in her lap.

"What do you mean? Do you guys even know him?"

"Not really. Look Barry," Ronnie said through a mouth full of pizza. Barry grimaced. "We've been in this town way longer than you have. And that guy is...he's.."

"Weird?" Cisco interrupted again before getting kicked under the table by Caitlin.

"Odd." Ronnie swallowed the food in his mouth. "I wouldn't go near him if I were you."

"Whatever." Barry muttered under his breathe. He grabbed a slice of pizza when Cisco changed the subject. If they didn't even know the guy, why the hell did Barry have to stay away? What made him so weird? If anything, he was probably one of the most normal people Barry had met. With a sigh, Barry brought the slice up to his mouth. His eyes wondered around the room before landing on a window in the corner. He saw a figure standing in the rain. It looked like a female with long black hair. 

"BARRY, NO."

The pizza was slapped out of his hand before it reached his mouth.

"What are you doing?" Ronnie exclaimed, picking the pizza up and putting it on his own plate.

"Well I was trying to eat-"

"That had olives on it, Barry. You're allergic to those." Ronnie reminded him, taking a bite out of the pizza.

Barry thanked him, grabbing a slice of cheese pizza. He could swear he picked up a cheese one earlier.

Turning to look out the window again, the figure was gone.

 


	2. Chapter 2

It's a week and the rain still hasn't let up. It's the third day in a row that Barry has lost his umbrella -- and his money -- so now he has to walk home. Again. It's only four in the afternoon, but the sky is a dark grey. The rain only gets harder the closer Barry gets to home. He's avoided getting a cold these last few days, but he knows it's inevitable.

He can feel the phone vibrating in his pocket, but he ignores it, not wanting his phone to get any wetter than it already is.

 

There is no one else on the sidewalk at this time, and the area is completely silent, save for his footsteps. Barry walks warily past the park, only five minutes away from his home. He contemplates waiting for the rain to let up in the cafe across the street, but thinks better of it. The rain looks as if it's only gonna get worse and Barry has no intention of drying up only to go out into the rain again.  
  
The park looks eerily similar to one of those B-rated scary movies. The ones with the creepy laughter and dead children playing on the swings. The wind is pushing the gates surrounding the park, the rust on rust creating a squeaking sound. Wiping the rain from his eyes, Barry begins walking faster. The wind is picking up and Barry is pretty sure the temperature has dropped another 10 degrees.

Barry is right outside of his apartment building when he sees it. Lights from a passing car illuminates what appears to be a woman walking on the other side of the road. Squinting his eyes, Barry takes a few steps closer to the curb to get a better look. It's a young woman and she looks as if she's staring right back at him. Barry rubs the rain water out of his eyes one more time, but when he looks up, she's gone. Where she stood stands a huge maple tree, no sign of her ever being there. Barry steps off of the curb when someone grabs him by the arm and pulls him back.

"Barry!"

The breath is knocked out of him when his back collides with the persons chest behind him. A car hunks its horn, speeding past the place where Barry previously stood.

"What the hell were you thinking? That car was about to hit you!" He identifies the voice as Eddie's. The anger in his tone is obvious before Barry even turns around to face him.

"I didn't..I thought I saw-"

"And where is your umbrella? You're gonna get sick out here. Where's your keys?" Barry absentmindedly hands Eddie his keys, still in shock from what just happened. If Eddie had not been there...

Barry snaps back into reality when Eddie begins helping him up the stairs to his apartment. He's being dragged by his elbow, but can't seem to pull away. Despite the weather, Eddie seems to be emitting a natural warmth. Once they reach the top of the stairs, Barry moves closer to him, visibly shivering. Before Eddie opens the door, he takes his coat off and wraps it around Barry. While Eddie tries to find the right key, he turns around to look across the tree. The maple tree is still there, but there's no woman in sight. Barry lets Eddie wrap an arm around his shoulder and lead him up to his apartment.

* * *

Barry tells Eddie to make himself at home while he goes to take a shower. Other any other circumstance, Barry would have been elated to have Eddie in his apartment. However, this cold is already getting to him, and he wants nothing more than to be here by himself. Being sick in front of extremely attractive people is the last thing Barry wants.

Went the water heats up, Barry steps in and lets the steaming water run down his body. He closes his eyes and lets his head fall against the tiled walls of the shower. He wants to reach for the soap but his whole body is sore. He feels like he ran five miles non-stop. Barry slides down the wall until he's seated at the bottom of the tub. The heat of the water is turning his skin pink, but Barry doesn't have the energy to turn it down. 

The water begins to rise around Barry's ankles as he sits there. Eyes still closed, he frowns in confusion. He knows he didn't put the drain stopper in there so the water shouldn't be rising. When Barry opens his eyes, he can't stop the terrified scream that rips through his throat. The water, rising around his calves now, isn't water at all. Its blood. The blood is shooting out of the shower head, down Barry's body, and into the bathtub.

"Barry are you okay in there?" Eddie shouts from the other side of the door. Barry closes his eyes and counts down from ten. The banging on the other side of the door does not stop, but when the ten seconds are over and Barry opens his eyes...

The blood is gone.

When he looks up, there is nothing but clear water coming from the shower head. Barry takes a deep breath, trying to calm his heart.

"Barry?"

The voice behind the door is filled with worry and fear. Barry stands up and turns the shower off.

"I'm fine, Eddie. I'll be out in a minute."

"You sure?"

"Yeah." Barry replies, wrapping the towel around his waist. 

When he looks at himself in the mirror, he knows what he said is a complete lie. His eyes are bloodshot and he has bags under them from sleepless nights. The entire week, Barry has done nothing but dream that same nightmare every night. It always ends the same way. He will wake up at 4AM screaming into the empty room, only to stay up for he rest of the night, staring at the ceiling. Barry has no idea what the dream could mean or why they won't stop. What confuses him even more is the fact that he's only known Eddie for a week, and he cant stop dreaming about the blond.

Barry dries the rest of his body with the towel and begins dressing himself. He picks up his soaked clothes and tosses them into the hamper. 

* * *

 Barry and Eddie are sitting on his coach, watching reruns of... Barry isn't even sure anymore. While he was in the shower, Eddie ordered Chinese. He claimed that he ate already and it was just for Barry -- who was starving, but barely touched his food. He knew it was the cold affecting his appetite, but he couldn't seem to make himself eat it anyway.

Eddie clears his throat, turning away from the TV to face Barry.

"What's up?" Barry asks, setting his bowl down and giving Eddie his full attention.

"Are you going to tell me why you were in there freaking out earlier? Or are we just going to pretend that didn't happen?"

"Honestly, I'd rather just pre-" Eddie sent him a disapproving look, causing Barry to sigh and look down at his hands.

"I know this will sound crazy." Barry laughs humorlessly. "I know I sound like a...like a  _lunatic,_ but these last few days...I just keep seeing things. Things I know can't be real or they disappear or...I don't know. And as weird as this sounds, this hasn't ever happened. It only started happening around the time..."

"You met me." Eddie finishes with a frown.

"Yeah." Barry says, staring at the ground so he won't have to look at the hurt expression on the blond's face. "I like you a lot, Eddie. I know we've only met and this is a lot of crazy to dump on someone you've just met but-"

"Go out with me."

"What?" Barry finally meets Eddie's eyes.

"Go out with me. On a date. Obviously not until you're feeling better and you've gotten some sleep but...I really like you too, Barry. Despite the load of crazy you just dumped on me."

Eddie smiles and Barry can't help but smile back. This whole thing will blow over soon enough. He'll get some sleep and realize all of this was just a product of no sleep.

Eddie reaches out to grab Barry's hand and hold it in his.

"I don't think you're crazy. There has to be an explanation for whatever is going on and I'll do whatever I can to help you figure it out. For now, just get a little rest, I'm sure you'll be fine."

Barry and Eddie continue to sit on the couch and watch TV for another hour until Barry's eyelids start to get heavy. Eddie helps him to his room and makes sure he falls asleep before returning to the couch. 

Eddie turns the television off and stares at the wall, deep in thought. He was more worried about Barry than he let on. Whatever he's been seeing to make him scream like that in shower can't just be sleep deprivation. Eddie knows he shouldn't keep this from Barry, but he wants to make sure it's an actual threat. He doesn't want to worry him for no reason.

He runs a shaky hand through his hair, scared that what Barry was implying is right. What if it  _is_  his fault these things are happening?

Eddie sighs as he begins to clean up Barry's mess. After sticking the leftovers in the refrigerator, Eddie takes his leave. He has a flight early the next morning and he can't afford to be late.

* * *

 It's well past twelve in the afternoon on a Friday, and Barry is still asleep. This entire week has been taking a toll on his physical health and all he wants to do is sleep for another five hours. Or years.

He was never really a heavy sleeper, but the previous night put him out like a light. He'd still be dead to the world if there wasn't a persistent knock at his door and some stupid song blasting from his phone speakers. He recognizes it as Iris' ringtone and immediately knows who is at the door. He groans into the pillow when he realizes he never gave her a key. 

It's a struggle, but when Barry finally does get out of the bed, all he does is lose his balance and sit back down. He can tell that the days of walking home in the rain are finally catching up to him. He has a massive headache and he can't breathe through his nose. Barry lets out another groan when the banging at the door gets louder. 

As soon as he opens the door, a loud and angry Iris pushes through, almost knocking him over.

"Barry, what the hell do you thing you're doing?"

"Well I was trying to sleep-"

"You know that's not what I mean." She cuts him off, setting several bags down on his kitchen counter. "Why did I hear from Caitlin, -- who heard from Cisco -- that you've been walking home in the rain? And you missed your classes today. I still don't have a key to your apartment and you haven't called in weeks! What's up with that?"

She finally stops ranting but Barry doesn't know if the pause is to let him talk, or if she'll just interrupt him again. He decides to stay quiet, but the murderous look she gives him says that that was the wrong choice.

"Well?" She asks impatiently.

"I just.." Barry sighs, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "I have had the worst luck lately. I've been losing my umbrella and my money for the bus keeps disappearing and then once I do get home I can't sleep! On the rare occasion that I do fall asleep, I end up having the same nightmares  _over and over_  that I start seeing when I'm awake but I'm pretty sure it's just a product of the lack of sleep I'm getting! On top of all that Eddie thinks I'm crazy even though he's too nice to admit it and now I'm sick and everything is just falling apart and-" 

He's cut off when Iris wraps him in a bone crushing hug. Barry relaxes in her arms and let's himself calm down. She's rubbing his back and telling him everything will be alright. Barry needed this and he's glad that Iris is always there when he needs her.

* * *

 As much as Barry loves having Iris around, she can be a pain in the ass sometimes. She fusses over him and coddle him and wraps him in blankets and forces him to drink cough medicine. He knows it's essential to the healing process  _but that doesn't make him hate it any less._

They're watching an episode of NCIS when Iris pauses it and turns to Barry. 

"Sooo..." She says with pseudo innocence. 

"Sooo...?" Barry repeats turning towards her as much as he can under three blankets.

"Who's Eddie?" She asks in the same sing-song voice. It's obvious she's trying not to smile but Barry knows her too well.

"Oh." Barry tries to will his blush away, forgetting that he mentioned the blond earlier. If Iris notices, she doesn't comment on it. "He's...uh-"

Barry is cut off by his phone ringing. He thanks every god there is that he doesn't have to continue this conversation. After retrieving his phone from the depths of his couch cushions, Barry answers without checking the caller ID.

"Hello?"

**" _Hey Barry._ "** Eddie's voice carries through the phone.

"Hey Eddie." Barry quickly turns away from Iris when she lunges toward the phone.

**"**   _ **I was gonna come by today to see how you were doing but I got caught up in something. I thought I'd just call."**_

Iris climbs across his back, trying to listen in on the conversation when Barry begins to fake cough. He knows Iris hates being sick just as much as he does so she jumps away with a frown.

"No, it's fine. A friend of mine came over to check on me. It was nice of you to call, though!" 

 Barry sees Iris coming towards him so he gets up and makes his way to the other side of the coffee table. She crosses her arms in defeat.

_**"It's no problem, Barry."**_  Barry tries his hardest not to smile at the way Eddie says his name.  _ **"I'm in the middle of something right now, but can I call you back later?"**_

 "Sure thing. Thanks again Eddie."

 They say their goodbyes and when Barry looks up, Iris has the biggest shit eating grin he's ever seen in his life. 

"Oh, what now?" Barry asks, exasperated. 

"Oh, nothing. You just seem a lot better already. You're not as pale, you stood up without getting dizzy...I think this "Eddie guy might be magical."

When he thinks about it, he notices that he stood up and walked around the table with no problem at all.  

"This conversation is over." Barry says. Iris raises her hands in surrender and laughs at the expression on her best friend's face.

It is a little odd that talking to Eddie made Barry feel a lot better. He wouldn't believe it was magic until he could breathe through his nose again.

They spend the rest of the day together until 9 o'clock rolls around and Iris has to leave.

"I've missed you, Barry." She says, wrapping him in the third bone crushing hug of the night. "We should do this again."

"Of course." Barry agrees, returning the hug.

When she pulls back, her smile turns into an expression of concern.

"I know you don't like talking about these things and I don't want to force it out of you, but please talk to me if you need to Barry. These nightmares and stress...you shouldn't keep them to yourself."

Barry nods in understanding and assures her that if it's something she needs to know about, he will definitely let her know.

With one last hug and instructions to take care of himself, Iris leaves, and Barry is alone again.

* * *

He turns all the lights off and retreats to his bedroom.

 

Eddie never calls.

* * *

Quick footsteps on the ground behind him is the first thing he hears when he wakes up. A twig snaps, and then he hears breathing and the rustle of leaves. That's when he realizes that he's not in his bed. He's in the forest. The nearest forest is miles from where he lives, so Barry begins to freak out.

He struggles to sit up, but he can't. There's a huge rock digging into his back and the more he moves, the more it hurts. Barry closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. He counts down from ten just like he did in the shower. Maybe this is just his imagination. He reaches zero and when he opens his eyes, he's still in the middle of the forest. The only thing he can see clearly are trees. He turns his head to the left and strains to get a better glimpse into the darkness, but it’s pointless. There’s nothing but a black void.

He attempts to take a breath but realizes he can’t breathe because something on his chest is preventing him from doing so. The pressure on his chest begins to get heavier and heavier the longer he sits there. He begins to cry out for help. He screams and thrashes but the weight only gets greater. 

" _Get away from him_!"

Barry's never been happier to hear another persons voice in his life. Heart slamming against his ribs, he gulped at the air, trying to slow his breathing enough to hear who was approaching. As soon as the footsteps near him, the weight on his chest disappears. He sees something dive behind a wide cedar trunk just off the trail, but ignores it for the time being. Barry sits up and inhales deeply, filling his lungs with much needed air. There was a soothing hand across his back when he begins to cough.

When the coughing fit stops, the person helps Barry up and leads him towards one of the many trees surrounding them. Barry presses his back against the bark, the ridges biting into his back. He knows he should open his eyes and see who the stranger is, but he can't seem to catch his breath. 

The mystery person walks away, probably to make sure whatever was there previously is gone. Barry uses the snapping of branches and the sound of the wind to calm him down. When he finally catches his breath, the person approaches him and puts a hand on his shoulder. 

"Hey, Barry. You okay? What are you even doing all the way out here?"

Without opening his eyes, Barry already knows it's Eddie. It's always Eddie. Whether he's outside his home or miles away from it, Eddie is always there. Barry would find it a little more creepy if the man wasn't always saving is life. Not that he's complaining.

"What the hell was that?" Barry manages to ask once his heart has stop slamming against his chest. His calves begin to burn as he squats against the tree, not being able to stand anymore. Eddie bends over to his level and helps him up again.

Eddie doesn't answer. Instead, he turns his back toward Barry and tells him to get on his back.

Barry grabs his arm and turns him back around to face him.

"I'm fine, I can walk by myself. I'm not helpless."

"Barry, you're bleeding. I-"

" _I'm not helpless_ -" Barry shouts, raising his voice before getting cut off.

"No one said you were!" Eddie shouts back. The silence is deafening and the only sound you can here is the leaves being blown by the wind. When he calms down, he clears his throat and speaks again. "You're not helpless, Barry. Just let me help you."

Barry doesn't respond or argue when Eddie turns his back to him again. Eddie walks for a full minute with Barry on his back. Barry's ankle begins to hurt and he assumes that's where the blood was coming from.

"Where are we going? We look like we're going deeper into the forest."

"Remember when I told you I lived out east? 20 minutes from Deadwood?"

"Yes?"

"Well..." Eddie emerges through the trees and onto a dirt path, leading towards a mansion...

...in the middle of the woods.

"Here it is."

 


	3. Chapter 3

Barry could tell they were pretty far from the roads by the unsettling silence. Eddie sat him down on a bench next to his front door while he opened the door and turned a few lights on. The pain in his lower back and his ankle were impossible to ignore. Just from looking at it, he could already tell it was swollen. Groaning and adjusting himself into a more comfortable position, Barry stared out at the forest they had just emerged from. How could he have just appeared miles away from where he lived with no memory of it? It's pure luck that it happened to be where Eddie lives. _Which...is kind of weird._ Barry thought. What is Eddie doing in a mansion in the middle of the forest? And how do they keep running into each other if they're miles away from each other? Barry is shaking his head when he see's something in the corner of his eye. The tree's around them were all bare so it wasn't hard to see through them. However, the one to his immediate left began moving. The rustling of the leaves were getting louder and louder. Barry squints his eyes and leans closer to get a better look. He can only make out what looks to be like eyes staring back at him, but his attention is directed to the right when Eddie returns from inside the house. Eddie he reaches a hand out towards Barry to help him up and he takes it, looking back at the empty tree. 

Barry hesitates in the doorway. From the outside, you could already tell it was ridiculously expensive. Now, that seemed like a _huge_ understatement. There were two huge staircases on either side of the room, both meeting in the middle where the second floor of the house was. Under then stairs was a hall that led to a living room of some sort (that was probably twice the size of Barry's own apartment). There were two more rooms on either side of him but before he was able to admire them, Eddie tugged him towards the staircase to the left. It takes them a couple of minutes to get up the stairs -- mainly because Barry refused to let Eddie help -- but once they reach the top of the steps, Barry let's out a sigh of relief, gazing out of the huge window in front of him. He hears a chuckle and turns to Eddie with a frown. Eddie points behind him where Barry sees another staircase. Barry throws his head back in frustration while Eddie laughs louder.

* * *

It might just be the exhaustion, but Barry swears this place never ends. It has hundreds of stairs, thousands of doors, and millions of hallways. When Barry tells Eddie such, he just shakes his head and laughs. His eyes wrinkle in the corners and his eyes get impossibly brighter. Barry vows from then on to make Eddie smile more.

Oddly enough, Eddie never offers Barry food. He's not complaining, he's totally fine. He _refuses_ to go down those stairs again, and he doesn't think he'd be able to keep anything down anyway. Eddie points towards his closet, telling Barry to pick anything out of there to change into while he goes to lock the doors and turn the lights off. Barry nods, slowly lifting himself off of the king sized bed. Once he reaches the closet, Barry can't help but be in complete awe for the hundredth time that night. One of the walls had a full length mirror, resembling a dance studio. On the remaining three walls were shelves and clothing wracks. _What could Eddie possibly need all these clothes for?_

Barry could tell that majority of the clothes in there were ridiculously expensive. The right side of the room was like a tornado of suits, ties, shirts, and dress shoes. He could never imagine owning that many articles of clothing. He doesn't even go anywhere but school and home, so he'd have no use for them anyway. The other side of the room (although it still looked ridiculously overpriced) looked a bit more casual so he limped his way to the left side.

Barry searched through one of the many drawers looking for something to wear when he felt something hard beneath all of the clothes. Barry looked towards the door, checking to see if Eddie was coming, before deeming it safe and pulling the thing out. It was a picture frame holding a photo of two women-- one pregnant-- in, what Barry assumes, is the forest outside. There are many trees in the background and, judging by the all the leaves on the ground, Barry could tell it was autumn. Oddly enough, all of the trees in the forest are bare, except for the huge balete behind the two women. The leaves on the ground are and mixture of brown and orange while the balete tree is a vibrant green color. Barry shrugs and looks back at the two women in confusion. The blonde on the left doesn't look too familiar, but the pregnant one on the right does. Her dark hair and blue eyes pull at his chest and causes him more confusion. He could swear he's seen this women somewhere else, but he just couldn't put his finger on it. He'd ask Eddie, but he wasn't supposed to be digging through his things in the first place. The guilt finally catches up with him and Barry shoves the frame back where he got it from, grabbing the first pair of sweatpants and shirt he saw.

Careful not to upset his wounds, Barry carefully pulls his muddy shirt off, turning his back towards the mirror. There is a cut in the lower-middle part of his back, right above his waist line. The blood has already dried up, but Barry could tell it isn't very deep. Grunting at the weight he put on his left foot, Barry struggles to pull his grass covered jeans off. Once he does, he pulls the sweatpants on. He holds onto the shirt so that he can put it on after he cleans his back wound. As soon as Barry steps out of the closet, Eddie walks into the room. Barry blushes and begins to ramble about how he needs the wound cleaned and how he didn't want to make a mess on Eddie’s shirt. Even though Barry fervently rejects his offers, Eddie insists on tending to the wounds himself. That's how Barry ends up face down on the bed, thanking every god there is that Eddie can't see his hideous blush.

"Aren't you gonna ask?" Barry breaks the awkward silence once Eddie finishes up on his back and moves to his ankle.

"Ask what?" Eddie replies, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"What I was doing out there in the middle of the forest?"

Eddie fumbles with the gauze and doesn't meet Barry's eyes.

"Eddie?"

In addition to the guilt, Eddie's eyes seemed to glow again just like they did at the pizza place. Frowning, Barry struggled to sit up and look but as soon as he came face-to-face with the blonde, the lights began to flicker. They stop after a few seconds, and judging by Eddie's reaction, this probably happens all the time.

"It's actually kinda funny," Barry let's out a humorless laugh. "We live miles away from each other, but we keep running into each other. I don't even know where the hell I am right now but, coincidentally, it's where you live. You saved me from that car two days ago-"

"Two days ago?" Eddie interrupts with a frown.

" _Yes_ ," replies. "Iris and I were hanging out yesterday when you called-"

"Barry." Eddie stopped him. He stood up off the bed and stared down at him with a look of confusion. "That was a week ago. I haven't seen you in a week and I never called."

Barry frowned up at him. He knows Eddie called, Iris was right there! _What the hell is he playing at?_ Barry thought, standing up also.

"Yesterday, you called. You said you were going to come by but you were busy with something and..." Barry trailed off after seeing the look on Eddie's face. It was obvious that he had no memory of this ever happening. Barry crossed his arms while Eddie licked his lips, trying to understanding what the hell was going on.

"Barry, I swear to you, that wasn't me. I don't know if someone is trying to play some twisted game, but I was out of town this week and I just came back a few hours earlier. I left the morning after I asked you out."

If Barry wasn't so busy panicking, he'd probably be blushing. Instead his blood ran cold and he had to sit back down on the bed when he started getting dizzy. How could a week have gone by? Was it all a dream? Did he and Iris not really hang out? All of this was giving him a huge headache.

"Barry, are you okay?" Eddie asked softly, sitting down next time him, so close that their knees touched.

"No." Barry mumbled, not even able to hide it. "I haven't been sleeping and the nightmares only get worse and..."

* * *

 

Eddie pulled Barry into his arms when the first sob broke through. Barry was covering his face, but Eddie knew that he had started crying. He wrapped his arms around him and let his head rest on his shoulder. Barry was stressed and sleep deprived and Eddie couldn't help but feel -- know -- it was all his fault.

 _Tomorrow_ Eddie thought with determination. _I'll tell him tomorrow and we'll figure it out from there._

The sobs began to die down, but Barry's head was still buried in his chest, gripping onto his shirt for dear life. Eddie ran his fingers through Barry's hair, attempting to calm him down. Everything was fine until the lights began to flicker again.

After a few seconds of flickering, they shut off completely.

It hadn't been raining when he found Barry outside, but now it was pouring, soundly hitting the windows in the room. Thanks to the many windows in the room, Eddie was still able to see the side of Barry's terrified face. A small gasp escapes his mouth when Eddie's eyes meet his. The rain is hitting the windows harder and harder and Eddie knows that his eyes are shining as they adjust to the darkness. Eddie tries to calm himself down and get his eyes to stop glowing but it's too late. Barry begins to crawl back towards the head of the bed and Eddie hurriedly turns away from him. He stands up and tells Barry that it's probably just the wind.

Barry never gets to reply because that's when they hear it. The sound of people outside of each wall, banging on it as hard as they can. It get's louder and louder and Eddie watches as Barry tries his best not to freak out.

Then it stops.

The only sound is the wind blowing the trees and the rain hitting the windows. Barry let's out a sigh of relief, trying to adjust his ankle to a more comfortable position. 

"What the hell was that?" Barry snaps when he finally calms himself down. 

"....I don't know." Eddie mutters. His face is turned towards the window, listening to something Barry can't hear. "I'm going to go check it out. Stay here-"

"What do you mean "check it out"? Don't go. You have no idea what the hell is out there-"

"That's why I have to go see!" Eddie snaps back, finally turning to face Barry. Realizing that he was being a bit harsh, Eddie cleared his throat and sat on the edge of the bed again. "Strange things have been happening around here for a while now and after I saw that thing out there attack you-"

"You saw it?" Barry jumped up, realizing soon after that it was a bad idea. He gripped his back in pain as he struggled to get comfortable again. "What did it look like? And what do you mean strange things-" 

"Barry," Eddie stops his rambling and careful rests his hand on Barry's knee. "I'll tell you all about it as soon as I go see if everything is okay. And whatever it is that's happening to you isn't normal. I know I have some books around here somewhere, I'm hoping they will help is figure it out. In the mean time, just stay here. Try to get some sleep, you look exhausted."

Barry nods while trying to get himself situated under the blankets. Eddie runs his fingers through Barry's hair one last time and smiles at him. Barry attempts to smile but he was still unsettled so it came out to more of a grimace. Eddie still appreciated the effort. 

It's been five minutes since Eddie left and Barry was still staring at ceiling. The occasional thump or sound from the window would cause him to jump and keep him awake. Barry lets out a yawn as he turns to lie on his side. The place where Eddie ran a hand through his hair begins to tingle and Barry feels himself getting drowsy. He swears he sees something dark sitting outside of the window but he can't seem to keep his eyes open.

* * *

  _He wakes up to find himself standing in the middle of a highway before a gold carriage being pulled by two white horses. A tall man steps off of the carriage and stands aside so Barry can go in. Barry knows he shouldn't, but he can't seem to stop himself. The inside of the carriage was empty except for the red cushioned seats on both sides. Barry takes a seat and the horses begin to move. Barry asks the driver where they're going, but he doesn't get an answer._

_All of a sudden a faint buzz fills the carriage and Barry starts hearing a voice that sounds strangely familiar._

_"Bar-...." the voice says. ”Can you hear-...."_

_After listening closely, Barry could tell that there was more than one voice. They both still sounded very familiar._

_"Barry!"_

_It was Cisco. Which meant the other one was probably Caitlin._

_"Cisco?" Barry sat up right, scooting towards the window._

_"Barry. You can hear me?"_

_"Yeah, where are you?"_

_"That's not important, just listen to me closely. You're dreaming. None of that is real-"_

_The carriage came to an abrupt stop and the voice was cut off. Barry frown but when he called out for Cisco again, the driver demanded he get out of the carriage. The driver's large hat was covering his face, but from where Barry stood, it almost looked like he didn't have a face. Barry crawled carefully out of the golden carriage and stood before the man. He stood closer to see clearly, but was pushed roughly away and down into a pile of leaves._

_When he opens his eyes, he's not at all surprised to find himself in the middle of a clearing in the forest. What's odd is the blonde lady sitting at a picnic table, beckoning him over. He looks around the forest but all he can see are trees. Brown and yellow leaves litter the ground just like that photo he found in Eddie's drawer. That's when Barry realizes where he is. He turns around and behind him is the huge balete tree, full of leaves; unaffected by the weather._

_Barry makes his way towards the tree when he is pulled back by a hand and his shoulder. He turns and sees it's the woman from the photo. The blonde one with the bright blue eyes that kind of looked like..._

_"Barry," she smile sweetly, "Come eat with me."_

_The table is covered in an assortment of foods. In the center of all of the side dishes is a roast pig. He lets the woman pull him towards the table and sit him down. He let's her know he's not hungry but she makes him a plate anyway and sets it down in front of him. Once she makes her own plate, she sits in the seat across from him and breaks the silence._

_"So, I see you've met my son." She smiles, eating her peas with a knife and fork, the sound of the silverware clinking together echoes through the woods._

_"Your...son?" Barry asks, looking up from his untouched food._

_"Eddie." she states matter of factly. She smirks when the blush appears on his face. He shakes his head and smiles down at his untouched plate again and something catches his attention._

_He recognizes everything on the plate except whatever that is under his meat. It looks like rice, but it's black and Barry isn't even sure if it's edible. When he chances a look at her place, he seems that she doesn't have any of the black rice._

_"He uhh..." Barry trails off, still hesitant to eat the food, but not wanting to be rude._

_"Something wrong?" she sets down her silverware and looks at Barry. Intimidated, Barry scrambles for an excuse as to why he isn't eating his food._

_"No! Uhh, nothings wrong." He tries to smile at her. "I was just wondering if you had any salt-"_

_As soon as the word left his mouth, he had to cover his ears. The mere mention of "salt" causes her to let out an ear piercing scream and her face begins to shift into something terrifying that Barry can't even begin to describe. The food begins to fly off the table and her screams get so loud, he can feel the blood leaking out of his ears. Not only is it the women screaming, but there appears to be more of them -- of her -- screaming in unison. He's curled into a tight ball on the dirt when he finally wakes up from his dream._

* * *

He's gasping for air when he sits up in the bed. He has to violently throw the blanket off of himself when he feels like he's literally burning up. He was so bust trying to catch his breath and cool, that he hadn't noticed the pain in his back and ankle were gone. He heard Eddie burst into the room but Barry was still sweating uncontrollably and trying to control his breathing. He coughed a few times while Eddie rubbed his back, muttering soothing words under his breath.

"Bar, you're burning up." to Barry's confusion, Eddie didn't sound too surprised. He looked like he was expecting it.

 "Go take a cold shower. I've been researching all night and I may have found something but I'm still not sure." Eddie rambles, standing up and looking for something in the room. "Oh, God, when was the last time you ate? I didn't even think about that yesterday. I guess I'll go...uh...make breakfast?" Eddie stated as if it was a question, dragging Barry out of the room and into the bathroom across the hall. He shoved a towel into his hand a closed the door behind him.

Barry sighed, still feeling half-asleep and wondering what Eddie had just said to him. He looked around the bathroom, the light filtering in from the window blinding him. Everything was a spotless marble and Barry was surprised that Eddie didn't have a house keeper or something. Someone could perform surgery in there. [X ](http://hgtvhome.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/hgtv/fullset/2011/12/12/0/Original_Jackie-Dishner-Luxury-Showers-Christopher-Grubb-Traditional-Step-Shower_4x3.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.1280.960.jpeg)

Barry set his towel down on the sink to his left and glances at the shower and bathtub. Barry would love a bath, but Eddie was cooking and he was starving. Sighing, he vowed that if he was ever in this position again, he was picking the bath. Preferably _with_ Eddie, but he wasn't picky.

As soon as he pulls his clothes off and steps foot into the shower, he regrets his decision. The shower has like six different handles and three different shower heads. Shrugging his shoulders, he turns on the first one he sees. As soon as he turns it to the left, ice cold water hits his calves and he lets out a startled yelp. Rushing to turn it off, he decides to pick a different one. He sees the biggest handle in between two small ones and decides to go with that one. Warm water pours down from the shower head directly above him and Barry deems it good enough. He turns the handle to the left warming up the water and then leans against the wall. Last night was the best night’s sleep he's had in a while. He had odd dreams, (which he'd take over the nightmares he'd been having recently) but hadn't woke up once during the night. As a matter of fact, Barry didn't even know what time it was. When he glanced out the window earlier, he couldn't even tell if the sun was going up or down. Remembering Eddie saying something about breakfast makes him realize that it must be morning. However, that only causes him more confusion. It had been four o'clock in the morning when Eddie had found him and Barry felt like he had been sleep for days as opposed to a couple of hours. He shakes his head and reaches for one of the many bottles of body wash.

Once he's clean and his hair is washed, Barry turns the shower off and takes the two steps out of the shower and into the steamed bathroom. The mirror above the sink and the glass walls of the shower were both clouded. When reaching for his towel, Barry stops abruptly. The shower must have cleared his head because it dawned on him that nothing was making sense. He had hurt his ankle and back the day before. When he turns around to look in the small mirror hanging above the sink, there's nothing there. No bruises, no scars. Nothing. Barry leans on his right ankle and feels no pain.

He's healed up perfectly. And even though he must have only gotten a couple hours of sleep, he felt well rested; more so than he has in days. Barry shakes his head and plans on asking Eddie about it later. He and Eddie had come to the conclusion that chunks of time were missing from his memory, but he didn't think it was that bad.

After he dries himself off, he realizes that Eddie didn't even give him any clothes. He sighs and makes his way across the hall.

* * *

 "I mean, I waited a couple of days to see if he'd show up! But-"

"What?" Caitlin snapped. "How long has he been gone, Cisco?"

"I don't know! He wasn't coming to class and I came to knock on his door a few times, but he didn't answer. It's been about...I don't know, two weeks?"

" _Two weeks_?" Caitlin shrieked.

Ronnie pulled her back before she launched herself at the the smaller man. He stood in front of her, blocking her view of Cisco.

Cisco sighed and ran his fingers through his long hair. It wasn't like Barry to just disappear like this. They'd been here outside of his apartment for an hour now and it was obvious that Barry wasn't home. He wouldn't even answer his phone. It wasn't until today when Cisco called Iris -- and she hadn't heard from him in a week either, -- that he really began to freak out. Neither of them had wanted to go to Joe with this, but the longer they hid this from him, the angrier he would be. And Joe might be the only way could find Barry. 

Ronnie sighed, already knowing what Cisco was thinking. 

"Alright," Ronnie said, tugging Caitlin down the hall, towards the elevator, Cisco not far behind. "Guess we're headed to Central City." 

"At 10 o'clock? Why?" Caitlin asked, the anger from earlier still evident in her voice.

"We gotta go tell Joe. That's the only way we'll find Barry." 

Caitlin nodded in understanding.

They all piled into Ronnie's car and began the hour long trip to Central City. They all hoped that Joe and Iris wouldn't be too upset at being woken up at 11 PM to find out Barry was gone.

* * *

" ** _What_**?" Iris and Joe shouted in unison.

The three of them looked down in shame. Joe let out a huff of frustration and opened the door wide enough for them to come in. The three made their way to the couch across from Iris, who sat in the chair, and Joe, who was standing up. 

"You guys wanna start from the beginning?" Joe frowned, his night clothes not making him look any less frightening. 

Cisco repeated what he told Ronnie and Caitlin; how he hadn't seen Barry at school and he wasn't at home. His phone remained unanswered but it didn't go straight to voice mail, which meant it was still charged. Joe's face remained cold and emotionless while Iris' filled with worry.

"Okay," Joe stated after Cisco finished. "You guys didn't call the cops, did you?"

"Uhh..." Cisco looked towards his friends, seeing twin expressions of guilt. 

"It's okay. That's good." Joe explained.

"Why is it good?" Iris questioned from the other side of the room while the three let out a sigh of relief.

"Because this isn't like Barry. Most likely, this is just a huge misunderstanding, and he is perfectly fine." 

"But Dad-"

"Not now, Iris. We can call the police if he doesn't show up. But until then, we need to work on finding him ourselves."

"Didn't anyone notice anything off the last time they saw Barry? He didn't look like he'd been getting much sleep, but was there anything else?" Caitlin asked everyone. Everyone shrugged and commented on how he seemed pretty normal to them, except for Iris. They all looked up at her when she spoke up.

"He told me he had been having nightmares. Not like the ones he had as a kid, but worse. I'm pretty sure that's what has been keeping up. And there is when other thing..."

They all coaxed her to go on.

"Well, it might be nothing," she shook her head, "But when I was over there, he was talking to some guy. His names was Eddie or something? I don't know"

Everyone's eyes lit up in unison. They hadn't even thought about that. They told Barry to stay away from him, but of course he didn't listen. It was Barry.

"Of course," Cisco exclaims "Why didn't we think of this sooner!"

"Who is this Eddie? I've never heard of him." Joe asked, irritated by being left out of the loop.

"You might not know him," Ronnie explained "But you know his parents."

"He's Eddie Thawne." Caitlin finished.

Joe excused himself to go to the kitchen. He was going to need a drink if they were going to do this.

* * *

 Joe turned towards the three again after he came back with a beer, giving them a knowing look. 

"Really?" Cisco asked, reading his mind instantly with a shit-eating grin. 

"Mr. West," Caitlin scowled at Cisco before continuing "With all due respect, I don't think that's a good idea. I thought you didn't want us bringing that stuff around Barry."

"I know, Caitlin," Joe sighed, rubbing his eyes in exhaustion. "But if we want to find him fast and make sure he's not in any trouble, we have no choice. Especially if he _is_ with this Eddie guy." 

"Is anyone going to tell me what the hell is going on? I want to find him too." Iris' irritated voice broke through the silence. 

"I'll tell you soon, I promise," Joe looked up, forgetting that his daughter was in the room. "Just go to bed and-"

"And what? Sit around while Barry is gone? I want to help, too. He's my best friend." 

Joe looks like he's about to argue but the look on her face shows that she won't take "no" for an answer. He can't help but let out a small smile at that. She is his daughter.

"Alright, alright." Joe sighed, looking towards the three on the couch again. "I guess there's no point beating around the bush. These three aren't human." 

Iris frowns, but keeps her mouth shut, gesturing at him to continue.

"Well technically two of us are, but-"

"As much as we would love to give you whole story, we don't have much time." Caitlin interrupted, shooting Cisco a quick glance. "If we use magic, we might be able to find him." 

"...magic?" Iris looked like she wanted to believe them, but logic was telling her otherwise. 

"Yes. Magic." 

"And you knew about this?" She asked, facing her father again. "How come you never told me?" 

"The same reason I didn't tell Barry. When I found out just how dangerous all of this was, I wanted to keep it as far away from you guys as possible." Joe stretched his legs out in front of him, avoiding the glare being aimed at the side of his head. "I promise, you will get the whole story. Right now, we need you guys to get started on whatever kind of voodoo-" 

" _It’s not voodoo_ -" 

"-magic you can use to find Barry." 

Cisco was still ticked off about the "voodoo" comment, so Caitlin let him know that they would have everything by tomorrow afternoon. Joe nodded, inviting them to stay the night so they wouldn't have to drive back and forth from Central City and Deadwood. After promising to give Iris the entire story tomorrow, Joe and Iris went off to bed.

Cisco, Caitlin, and Ronnie continued to brainstorm. They began planning, going through all their contacts, and finding out what they would need to find Barry. It was obvious that Cisco was excited to be using magic again seeing as they had all promised to keep Barry away from it and hadn't used it in a while. They were all surprised at how well Iris had taken it, but that doesn't mean it would be the same for Barry.

After an hour, they decided to call it a night. They were no good to Barry sleep deprived.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Caitlin is a witch and Ronnie is her familiar. Free cookie for anyone who can guess what he is.
> 
> Anyway, I was so distracted by the tumblr #blackout for so long that I forgot this story existed. Oops. But I hope you enjoyed your extra long chapter! (:


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